PS4 release date, specs and its backwards compatibility issues: What you need to know about the PlayStation 4

Here's the PS4 release date in UK, confirmed specs and what you need to know

For those of you who are interested, here is our PS4 release date, specs and rumours article from before the official PS4 press conference. Feel free to laugh/praise us for how far away or close we came with our rumour round-up.

The PS4 release date is fast becoming one of the most anticipated in the technology industry. It's been over six years already since the launch of the game-changing third generation PlayStation, and judging by the appetite to find out the PS4 release date, the public are more than ready for the next Sony console. Take a look at Bioshock Infinite review. (See also: How to watch PlayStation 4 launch live and watch the event live here: PS4 launch: live.)

The PS4 release date is pretty unique in that still nobody really knows when it is likely to be. Guesses have ranged wildly from E3 2012 to as far away as 2016. So this is the place where we take a close look at the possible PS4 release dates, and try to make some sense of it all. See also Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 review.

PS4 release date

PS4 release date: What Sony says

The official line from Sony was that the PS3 was future proofed to last at least 10-years, which would mean a PS4 release date of no sooner that 2016. However, the wise old heads here at PC Advisor know that technology moves quickly and even the most brilliant piece of hardware released in today's world would struggle to maintain its position as a market leader in ten years time. We recommend you take the suggestion of a 2016 PS4 release date with a pinch of salt, and put it down as a marketing gimmick…promises are made to be broken. See all games reviews.

PS4 release date: Xmas 2013

The crazy kids who edit the Kotaku website are adamant that the PS4 release date will be ready in time for the 2013 holiday season (that's Christmas time in the Queen's).

Kotaku, along with many other websites, have got wind that the PS4 won't even be called the PS4. Instead, the chaps are suggesting that the PS4 will be called the PlayStation Orbis. They even delve into a little latin lesson for our benefit too, and conjure up a remarkable theory that J.K. Rowling would be proud of penning. You see, orbs is Latin for circle, and PlayStation's handheld/portable unit is called the PlayStation Vita (which is near enough Vitae) - so, Kotaku claim if you put the two together and you get Orbis Vitae which means 'the circle of life', which leads them to conclude the PlayStaion Vita will be included in the PS Orbis somehow. It's a cracking effort/theory if you ask us...albeit lacking a little substance.

PS4 Specs

PS4 will be mega-HD and 3D

According to the IBTimes, the new PlayStation will come with a whopping AMDx64 CPU and an AMD Southern Island GPU. What IBTimes says this means is, the PS4 will be capable of playing games with an 4096x2160 image; 3D games can be played in 1080p - the PS3 can only play 3D games at a resolution of 720p.

Backwards compatible

When tech giants release new games consoles, the fashion of late has been to make them backwards compatible. Well, sorry folks, every rumour we've seen so far seems to suggest the opposite is true for the PS4. Sony are going to go in all guns blazing for its next generation games console.

Kinect gaming

Tech website T3 says it is expecting "Microsoft Kinect styled movement-based gaming" to come as standard on the PS4. Oddly the popular tech website only briefly elaborates on the rumour stating that manufacturers Peagtron Technology and Foxcomm will both make the movement based gaming consoles. Sounds feasible enough to us.

PS4 pictures

There are a few mad designs doing the rounds right now. Here's a couple of concepts that have caught our eye as being vaguely realistic.

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Comments

fred said: haha wrong again ps4 is beating xbox

fred said: Got my ps4 is epic

trotskiii said: haha what are you a blow job lmfao

GHO5T-8-12-80 said: Ps4 elite fuck u xbox one

Martina L said: Ive preordered PS4 from zavvicom for 332 - the lowest price in the UK according to my research Ive used code ZV16127166 when opening a new account and 5 discount was applied to my first order which included the new controller and a few games as well

Rick said: thats true for this gen but live has had alot more funding to support it where as this time psn will get similar levels of funding if not then higher

Rick said: xb Live is better atm than PsN to be fair better support etc but thats alot to do with the extra money they can spend on it through subscription looking forward to seeing what PSN will do with the same level of financial power

Rick said: it is the more powerful machine on paper it was not really utilized to its potential though

Rick said: i dno about better console last time but this time probably

Guest said: If you correct grammar youre a cunt Either way the initial statement was pretty funny to read Brandon I like you

Scrubs said: when the ps4 comes out u will be able to pay 1000 to only some ps3 games and u will be given some code then u put redeem the code into the ps4 and It lets you download full game onto ps4 not all will be able to do that tho

Loveunderlaw said: Wii U crushes all

Boab Celtic Bhoy Knox said: the xbox 1 is a privacy invader as it spies u via cam as need cam active to operate it

Claz said: Im not sure how being lighter translates to less friction and how less friction is important for playing in different positionsIn a general context for controllers higher friction is a benefit as it prevents the controller from slipping in the handsA blackberry phone has buttons that are smaller than most handheld devices so does that mean that should be even better for reaching buttons by being easier for everyoneFor awkwardly shaped peice of junk that requires the same handles to be held in different positions as it has no natural position The bottom line is that is simply not comfortableIf was perfect the way it was why has it now just been changed to resemble larger and a more ergonomically curved handle like an xbox controller

Claz said: The fact that it is a left bumper and a right bumper distinguishes that it is not referring to any button on the face of the controllerPlease refer to an example of half the games which use the bumper as a firing trigger FPSs such as COD BF GOW Halo Borderlands all use the trigger to fire weaponsplease dont try to make up figures in attempt of making a new pointplease explain in what way within your obviously logical diagram why L3 and R3 are then located closest to the person followed by 1 and 2 and how remembering buttons that are out of view by a number is much simpler than than by a letter associated to word that describes itYou have also misunderstood your own example for logic behind precedence when something been done in the past it is logical to expect and understand it in the future An example is the use of an a button to accept or confirm and a b to to cancel or go back If it is not too hard for you to understand it is logical for people to expect that these buttons perform these actions due to precedence with many other platformsWhat is illogical however is to disregard all precedence by not only creating a new scheme of buttons consisting of shapes letters and numbers that perform the same variety of functions and then alternate the functions that these buttons perform An example is how playstation have moved back and forth between using triangle and circle as a backcancel button as well as cross and circle as an accept confirm button

Terarded said: i didnt disagree that you have to pay to play online i mainly disagreed that he claimed that you had to pay to play the ps4 at all i understand where i may have confused you with my comment though my bad

Terarded said: i do not agree you bump every button on a controller especially the button refereed to as a trigger and a lot of the games on xbox use the bumper to shoot which would arguably show that that could easily be the triggerim just saying that playstation follows a form of logic with their buttons they arent indecisive

Terarded said: its lighter causing less friction when playing from different positionsits smaller which makes reaching the buttons easier for everyone especially children and people with small handsits layout is easy to warm up with and designed with the goal of being able to move from button to button with easebut the bottom line is that its not some big stiff bulky piece of junk that requires extra effort to enjoyand if you dont believe me consider this every generation of xbox makes adjustments to the controller as an attempt to fix itwhile the playstation controller has remained the same shape through all generations showing that its received great feedback and is perfect the way it is

Terarded said: please refer to how i stated that they were illogical how can a button be called a bumper when bumping could easily be thought of as the motion of pressing any button on any controller while one is called a trigger even though its not even used as the trigger button in half the gameswhile as i said in my previous comment the ps3 follows a logical diagram of right and left along with the identifiable numbers from closest to furthest please read an entire comment and consider what is being said before criticizing itas for your argument about the snes war has been around for ages doesnt make it logical so how could its been done before be an argument for logic

Terarded said: how is it unrelated the xbox version has a lot of hacks that make it unplayablei should point out that i was replying to a comment that made the implication that mw2 online play on ps3 was somehow worse so replying with my general conclusion from playing it on both consoles was in fact entirely related and very specified i think you missed out a few words at the end of your comment so i cant respond to whatever it was supposed to say but i do hope that halo wasnt supposed to be some sort of defence for xbox considering its gone further downhill since the first